The effectiveness of external feminine sanitary protection products such as sanitary napkins is known to depend upon the proximity of the napkin to the user's perineal area. A close fit allows the napkin to collect fluid near the source of the exit from the body and minimizes fluid traveling along the body. However, despite the importance of fit to sanitary protection, prior art napkins adhesively secured to the crotch of the garment rely on the relatively loose fit of the user's undergarments. Panties worn while menstruating are often older, well-worn garments which fit poorly. New panties, unless specially designed to do so, rarely hold and maintain the napkin close enough to be maintain good body contact. Even specially designed undergarments are deemed by many women to be binding and uncomfortable.
In addition, reliance on adhesive systems that secure sanitary napkins to the undergarment essentially demand that the securing means of the napkin tenaciously adhere to the undergarment at all times. Accordingly, they must resist moisture, sudden torques generated by movements of the body and frictional shearing forces exerted by the movements of the various layers of clothing worn by the user. Not surprisingly, the actual performance of the napkin fails to satisfactorily meet these conditions.
One prior art solution to the fitting problem has been to use sanitary belts to independently support the napkin. Napkins with long tab ends worn with sanitary belts achieve the necessary closeness to the body but are often uncomfortable, inconvenient to use, and cause an indiscreet appearance which women find objectionable. Moreover, belts suspend a napkin in such a way that it is allowed to shift and twist, greatly reducing its effectiveness.
Another solution, contemplated by the prior art, is to attach the product ends to the wearer's skin. Several patents have been directed to devices for collecting body fluids that employ adhesive attachments to the wearer's skin. Zamist, U.S. Pat. No. 3,906,952, is directed to an anatomically contoured sanitary napkin having adhesive patches which attach to the skin of the wearer. These patches have non-disposable, die-cut grippers to receive the ends of the napkin. Levine, U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,151 describes a catamenial napkin having a long, full-sized napkin with adhesive strips on its longitudinal ends for attaching to the wearer's body. Sohn, U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,919, teaches a rectal area dressing for anal incontinence. This rectoperineal device has pressure-sensitive adhesive on an elongated absorbent pad and on extending end members that adhere to the skin surfaces.
While these inventions generally provide a close fit to the wearer's body, many women are adverse to the use of body adhesive. Further these uses of adhesives do not permit stretching in the longitudinal direction to adjust to the wearer's individual sizing needs. Such devices, moreover, are not flexible or resilient enough to allow the pad to move with the body and return to its original position during stooping, bending and twisting. This can lead to uncomfortable binding and twisting of the napkin. Furthermore, the attachment sites of these products, being susceptible to sudden torques and shearing forces, are not always reliable in securing product placement.
The present invention relates to a sanitary napkin whose securing means comprises an intergluteal strip. While use of intergluteal pads has been disclosed in the prior art, their use has been for increased absorbency of fluids present in this area. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,675 in the name of Knox-Sigh, U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,319 in the name of Richwine, PCT publication WO 90/04956 in the name of Muller, and U.S. Re. No. 24,385 in the name of Flanders.
The present invention relates to a sanitary napkin whose securing means comprises an intergluteal strip which thereby makes use of the wearer's intergluteal crevice to help secure the napkin to the wearer's body. By using the wearer's body in this manner, the present invention reduces many of the sudden torques and shearing forces associated with the prior art napkins and further provides an improved fit of the sanitary napkin. One problem with the use of this intergluteal strip is that women's anatomical dimensions vary widely as well as widely varying undergarment sizes. Most women do not desire a strip that extends beyond the undergarment and which could be seen by others. Hence, there is a need for an intergluteal strip that can be adjusted in length to fit any woman.